The Rules of a Victor
by The Other Everdeen Girl
Summary: What it really meant to be a victor for the Capitol. One-shot.


**A/N: Hey, It's Brighton. I want to thank everyone for supporting my writing and writing awesome feedback on Just A Dream. I will be adding more stories after my exams are over, blurg :/**

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_**The Rules of a Victor**_

**1. They must be talented and valuable**

_Finnick POV_

He knew that he must do this. If he didn't, he would end up like everyone else, drunk and with no one to love. Finnick hated that everyone thought he was a Capitol slut, but he stopped caring a long time ago. He was the attractive one, he was the desirable one and therefore he was passed around to all rich Capitol women. He felt so violated and hatful to himself while the women felt nothing but ecstasy. But while those women roamed over his body, kissing every surface, all he thought about Annie.

Annie, the one he did this for. Annie, who he prayed every night that the world had forgotten about her. Annie, who understood no matter what horrible trick was thrown in her face. Annie, who somehow knew everything, but forgave him for telling her nothing. He had to keep her safe. He had promised her that when she was reaped. He had promised when they were children, playing in backyards with hardly any fears. Before any talents emerged. In order to do that, he must be talented and valuable so he can be the Capitol's playboy. For now.

**2. They must know how to help others survive**

_Haymitch POV_

46 kids. 46 possible futures. 46 pairs of parents that thought their kids would come home. 46 innocent lives lost due to his stupid ability to survive. Haymitch was damn tired of counting those 46 children he was forced to mentor, only to watch them slaughtered, some even by people he called friends. He forgave them. Everyone has the need to survive. Some better than others.

There was Emma Reeves, an 18 year old girl with a fiancé and 3 sisters waiting for her, who was beheaded by a 14 year old District 4 girl on the second day. There was Todd Jacobssen, a 12 year old boy growing up in an orphanage giving him a wicked ability for hand to hand combat, who was killed in the bloodbath by disembowelment. There was Claire Sanders, a 14 year old girl with the ability to outsmart anyone because she had everyone wrapped around her finger, who was killed by a bloodthirsty career after a torture session so vicious and perverse the Capitol had to censor it from television. There was Emmet Byron, a 16 year old boy with the sweetest smile that made everyone fall in love with him but no skills whatsoever, who was killed at the bloodbath by a 13 year old girl. There were many others, but those first 2 years of tributes had stuck out the most and he had turned to drink by the third time around to remember any more. Finally,there was Maysilee, who was his district partner, who should have been saved. Not him. But now he must drink away the pain. He must help others survive, only to watch them die a slow and painful death. For now.

**3. They must never show the capitol any pain**

_Johanna POV_

She did not cry. Ever. Johanna was not allowed to. She had grown up with an abusive father and an alcoholic mother, who didn't give a damn as long as she made the money chopping trees. _Don't you dare shed a tear_, her father had always said after he had slapped her for the millionth time. _No bitch daughter of mine will ever show pain_. Her mother just sat and watched, with a bottle in her hand. She had sat by and watched as her eldest had been beaten and overworked her whole life. She had sat by and watched as Johanna's baby sister was ignored and slowly starving despite Johanna's best efforts. But she did not cry.

This didn't change after she won the games. She did not cry when her bastard father, drunk mother and worst of all, her baby sister were slaughtered because she was too headstrong to say yes to a horrific proposal. She did not cry when, she was reaped yet again to be a tribute in the arena. She did not even cry when Blight, the only man she had come to love despite the traumatic circumstances, be killed by a Gamemaker's cruelty. Johanna was not allowed to feel anything because a victor must not cry. She must not feel anything, despite anything thrown at her. For now.

**4. They must be the most skilled liars of all**

_Katniss and Peeta POV_

She had a family to protect. Katniss didn't think of anything else except her family on the victory tour. She felt horrible that she had to toy with Peeta's emotions. But she had more to worry about. She saw the disbelieving faces at every district, no matter how much she gushed about her love to Peeta, they saw a symbol that snow didn't want them to see. Too bad she wasn't a very good liar. She could spin the most twisted tale, but they were so blinded by hatred to the Capitol that they saw the truth. Every one said she was an open book.

Peeta didn't want his talent. He was too good at lying for it to be ethically sound. Every tale he spun, every façade he composed killed him as he watched the girl he loved suffer. He was forced into lying that they were in love, that they would get married and have lots of children, because if they didn't they would find the rotting corpses of their loved ones waiting for them at home. He knew her part of the game: to keep the districts at bay with their love. But while he watched Katniss internally struggle with stress and feelings as she kissed him for the camera, he felt repulsed by their lie. But victors have to lie so the population will believe they are truly happy. For now.

**5. They must never leave the arena**

Everyone thinks that once the trumpets sound, a tribute's struggle is over. That their pain will end and everything will be ok. How wrong those people are because once you're out of the arena, your struggles have just begun. If victors are popular and strong, they become the capitols whores for playing with, no consent required. All victors are forced to put on a neutral mask; because what more could they want besides this life of gilded luxury? All victors must prep children for the games each year like little lambs for slaughter but never know them because there's a 1 in 24 chance they will come home. All victors must lie about the cruel world called Panem, because no one should know how the strongest and the most famous really suffer. No one should know how far the Capitol will go, to put on a show. _For now_.

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**A/N: Did you like it? I know it's pretty dark, but if you think about it, the whole hidden world of victors was the darkest of all. I don't know how I thought of this, I just have an insane mind ;) please R&R!**


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